NWA ANC Base and the 747-200 Future?

[clippyrip]

I have an interview with NWA next week and want the ANC base but am worried that the SO reserve slots wont last long once based there...Does anyone know how long the 747-200 will stay in service? How long till am able to bid FO 747 reserve? I want to be at NWA in ANC but finding out two years later that the 747-200 is being retired and there are no ANC positions for newer guys worries me a little....any thoughts?

 

[cargoflyr69]

The ANC 74-200 base is straight cargo. It isnt going anywhere anytime soon. NWA make piles of cash on the cargo side of things. The a/c retirements you may have heard about were the pax -200's they are done with exception of 2 which will be doing CRAF charters thru early '08.

There will be FE spots open as well as FO spots. Last I checked only 23 people wanted to go up there for an FO seat and nobody wanted an FE seat. Your chances are good. I'd even bring that up in the interview as I think they may have trouble placing FE's.

Good luck

 

[clippyrip]

Thanks, do you work at NWA? I read the only 23 people bidding FO thing before and it seems to good to be true. My buddy has been there since 98' and still cant get FO 747 ANC so I'm not sure what to believe.

 

[propdog]

I am thinking the same thing....last I checked, the ANC-747-FO was around 12 yr senior (at least thats what heard from the crack-pipe). Is it getting junior?? That would be awesome for me...(if I get hired).

 

[NuGuy]

Heyas,

There are currently 21 people waiting (2 awards off the list last month)for ANC FO, and ZERO waiting for ANC SO (both reserve).

This is always subject to change +/- some as people see the list get short and then jump on/off.

Also remember that NWA bids block / reserve as separate permanent positions. If you bid a reserve position, you might get stuck there for a long time. Lots of people who commute won't bid a reserve position.

Nu

 

[cargoflyr69]

Thanks, do you work at NWA? I read the only 23 people bidding FO thing before and it seems to good to be true. My buddy has been there since 98' and still cant get FO 747 ANC so I'm not sure what to believe.

Yes I do fly for NWA.

Your buddy has been there since 98... Bear in mind there has been no movement in the company since '01, and there have been lots of retirements since '01. That translates to lots and lots of pilot movement thru the entire fleet now that they are hiring again. I have a feeling whale F/O's may be leaving for narrow body CA slots where the pay is close but QOL is better.

The number of 23 people waiting for ANC FO came direct from the company pref-up website the other day.

Put it this way, if a NWA newhire wants to fly the whale they will be able to do just that fairly early in their employment!

 

[clippyrip]

Thanks for all the help...This helps reduce the pressure of career decisions.

What is the deal with being stuck in block Vs. Reserve? If I were 74 SO block and I saw the list getting short for 74 FO reserve could I switch when the spot came open? I guess I'm confused by the statement about being stuck for a long time block Vs. Reserve.

 

[ERJFO]

Also remember that NWA bids block / reserve as separate permanent positions. If you bid a reserve position, you might get stuck there for a long time. Lots of people who commute won't bid a reserve position.

Is this true for all fleets? What I imagine reserve positions are normally Jr.? Does their have to be a replacement willing to come to the reserve side of things to get you off or can you go to block when there is a vacancy?

 

[NuGuy]

Is this true for all fleets? What I imagine reserve positions are normally Jr.? Does their have to be a replacement willing to come to the reserve side of things to get you off or can you go to block when there is a vacancy?

Heyas,

Reserve and Block positions are on every fleet, and bid just like normal permanent positions. Say you're looking at the DC-9 in MSP. There are actually 4 positions: CA B, CA R, FO B, and FO R.

If you want to move from one to another, you have to bid it like any other position, and there needs to be a vacancy. This is tricky because permanent positions are bid 3.5 months out and a far cry from other airlines where block/reserve is established at schedule bidding. It definately is not a matter of "gee, I want to sit a home for a month, so let me bid reserve".

If you are senior enough to hold a block, there is nothing stopping from bidding back and forth, but again, there has to be a vacancy to get the award, and while there is normally some "flux", you could get stuck if the music stopped.

Now there is a TEMP system in place, where you can bid for a temporary block (or reserve), in or out of base. This is usually done about 15 days before the bid deadline for the month after (EX temp deadline closes on Jan 25, for the bid deadline of Feb 15, for March flying). A bit better, but it's certainly not for those can't/won't/don't plan ahead.

There are pros and cons to this system. The pro is that if you have a block position, you KNOW you will have a block, thus it makes planning for commuting MUCH easier (and %80 of the pilots at NWA commute).

The con is that it removes a lot of flexibility. As I said, you can't just decide to sit reserve and bid a reserve line.

Lots and lots of guys will bid only block (as I said, most commute), so the reserve spots GENERALLY go junior, although SOME of the WB bases it was reversed (limited departures & reserves not utilized much). But like any airline, if you chase the aircraft (money), you could get stuck on reserve if the advancement stopped, so a lot of folks hold out till they can hold a block.

NWA has a LOT of weird, quirky rules and a computer system that dates back to the early Jurassic. Back in 1998, schedules were still bid by phone. Every month a "bid deadline" would come out, and it would have the "5 minute window" where you could call in and make your pick. Vacation is STILL bid that way, although you can put your request in the computer, it's basically an email message to the guy/gal you would have called.

It's a hodge podge of rules designed for a relatively small amount of international flying forced on to a huge domestic network. Some of the scheduling rules are VERY complicated and hard to follow (ask any NWA pilot about "availability rules" or "schedule completion"). Some times you will look in the contract, and there will be 1 paragraph talking about domestic hotels, while there are 8 pages of langauge about laundry expenses in NRT,

Trip trades and other schedule adjustments are hamstrung to an absurd extent compared to other airlines (trades are only worked at midnight, BY HAND), and there is no such thing as a "trip drop".

But the complex rules favor the WB pilots, so nothing will change in that regard.

Nu

 

[123]

I have a feeling whale F/O's may be leaving for narrow body CA slots where the pay is close but QOL is better.

Actually, I think it is the other way around. Everyone I talk with and fly with says that the widebody QOL is WAAAAYYYYY better than any narrow body position and the difference between widebody FO and narrow body capt is only about $15 an hour. -9 capt is continueing to go quite junior.

 

[NuGuy]

I have a feeling whale F/O's may be leaving for narrow body CA slots where the pay is close but QOL is better.

Ahahahhahahahahhahahhha, whoo hooo hooo, whahhahahahhahhahahahahah, oh oh oh, bwahahahahhahahahahah, stop stop, uuh uuh, ahahahahhahahahah....

Oh, God, :laugh: ...

QoL??....on the narrowbodies?...bwahahahahhahahahahah...

That sounds like something a "don't rock the boat" widebody captain would say...the kind of guy about a year ago would say "furloughs? there are guys on furlough?"

Oh man...thanks for the laugh, though...

Nu

 

[nwaredtail]

Junior blockholder fo on A330 is a 1995 hire. Junior blockholder on the DC-9 Capt is a 1998 hire. Mid-seniority 330 FO is a 1989 hire, so yeah, it's senior.

DC-9 crew will do more legs in 3 days than a A330 crew will do all month.

 

[clippyrip]

Do you know why the reserve slots for the whale are starting to open up in ANC? Is it due to the A330 base and the coming 787 base? Fedex, UPS and AK Air are having trouble placing pilots in ANC, maybe that trend has made it's way to NWA?

 

[ExAF]

I have a feeling whale F/O's may be leaving for narrow body CA slots where the pay is close but QOL is better.

HaHaHa! That's a good one...QOL in the narrowbodies. I was flying with a 9 Capt the other day saying he'd go to FO on the 400 in a heartbeat, but he can't hold it. The widebody airline is so out of touch it's pathetic. For them...life goes on as it has forever...they just get a few dollars less for it. QOL has been fairly constant.

 

[Going2Baja]

Are the ANC trips still 10 days? The s/o slot was a great place for a new-hire to hang for a while. And while asking about trips - Can one still be 'min-sked'? I heard the monthly max had been increased on all flying.

Thanks - Baja.